What did I just buy?

HOBBY101 · February 25, 2010, 06:19 PM

I was told it is a 8mm. He said outside of that he didn't know. The rear site is missing the adjustment blade. It looks good over all. My questions are as follows.(1) Is it a 8mm? (2) How can I tell what country its from? (3) How can I check the head space? (4) What ever else you can tell me about it? If you need any more info please let me know. I bought it for $82 out the door from a local dealer. Thanks Hobby101

RedneckFur · February 25, 2010, 06:29 PM

My guess would be a Yugoslavian mauser. 8mm is likely to be the correct caliber, but if you're not sure, have a real gunsmith check that for you when he checks the headspace.

You can install sights your self, and can probably get what you need from brownells or numrich, but having a smith do it would also probably be your best bet.

I had a yugo mauser very simliar to yours that I sold last year for $75. The old man that bought it cleand her up and now it shoots 2" groups at 100 yards with iron sights. My loss, his gain.

**Mike Irwin** · February 25, 2010, 06:41 PM

It looks like a Mauser K98, the rifle that saw Germany through World War I.

You need to describe the markings, both letters and numbers, that are, or should be, on the rifle's receiver.

Chamering determination can't be made positively over the internet. One can make assumptions, based on what's written on the receiver, but to be absolutely certain requires a gunsmith (or other knowledgable person) to make a chamber cast.

Moving this to Curious and Relics given its age.

HOBBY101 · February 25, 2010, 07:06 PM

These are the markings if you can make them out. Appreciate the help.

HOBBY101 · February 25, 2010, 07:30 PM

Well I surfed and found it is a Spanish Air Force M.1944 Mauser Short Rifle. All numbers matching. It has very very little surface in one spot. The website said it's relatively scarce. I think I did good at $82.

jbrown · February 25, 2010, 07:49 PM

cal.7.92 means 8x57 Mauser chambering,at least originally.I cant see the markings on the receiver at all.What was it that made you decide it was a Spanish rifle?

olyinaz · February 25, 2010, 08:31 PM

Yes, it's a Spanish Mauser and you got a fantastic deal at $82 in any case but I do think that the stock has been refinished (hard to tell in your pics).

I've got the Army version of that rifle (M43) and it shoots very nicely.

And to the fellow who said that the K98 was the German WWI rifle no, that's not quite correct. The Gew98 (Gewehr model 1898) was the German WWI Mauser 98 rifle and it's longer (something like a 30" barrel). The shorter...version of the Mauser 98 was used throughout WWII as the Kar98k (Karabiner Mod. 98 kurtz - short - approximately 24" barrel). Rifles of this length are sometimes also called "short rifle" because by most standards they're still not really carbines (I think Brazil, for example, used that nomenclature).

An even shorter version of the Mauser 98 is also around out there in "tanker" or police carbine versions and they can have barrels as short as 18".

This is general info and a "C&R" aficionado can answer with much greater detail and accuracy but the main thing is no - the K98 was not the typical Imperial German WWI rifle, it was the typical rifle of Wiemar and Nazi Germany and it's still used today by ceremonial guard units in modern Germany.

Oly

P.S. This is what kills me about other parts of the country - you would NEVER find a deal like that in Tucson!! You can't swing a dead cat in Tucson without hitting some old history nut that knows exactly what everything is and what it's really worth, and that includes every gun shop keeper in this town. Paint me green with envy.

P.P.S. Edited to correct as pointed out below - thanks guys, I knew there was more to that story.

olyinaz · February 25, 2010, 08:36 PM

Quote:

I cant see the markings on the receiver at all.What was it that made you decide it was a Spanish rifle?

That marking on top of the receiver is a dead giveaway and also the markings on the side of the receiver.

Oly

HOBBY101 · February 25, 2010, 08:39 PM

Jbrown The crest on the receiver is what I based my conclusion on.

Olyinaz Thanks for the confirmation. Yes I think the stock has been redone also. Do you know what the value is on this model?

KLRANGL · February 25, 2010, 09:06 PM

Quote:

And to the fellow who said that the K98 was the German WWI rifle no, that's not quite correct. The Gew98 (Gewehr model 1898) was the German WWI Mauser 98 rifle and it's longer (something like a 30" barrel). The shorter carbine version of the Mauser 98 was used throughout WWII as the Kar98 (Karabiner Mod. 98 - approximately 24" barrel). Rifles of this length are sometimes also called "short rifle" because by many standards they're still not really carbines (I think Brazil, for example, used that nomenclature).

That is not quite correct. The Kar98 was developed before WWI, and was used quite extensively during the war alongside the Gew98. You are thinking of the Kar98k, which was used during WWII. Kar (Karabiner) does not mean carbine, it means that it has a side mounted sling. The small k in the Kar98k mean kurtz, for short...
The Kar98 did have a turned down bolt handle though, so clearly this is not a Kar98 unless it is not an original bolt

Sasquatch in MN · February 25, 2010, 09:46 PM

NICE grab.

way undervaluerd as well.

mapsjanhere · February 25, 2010, 09:54 PM

There are actually at least three versions of the Kar98, the Kar 98 A, the standard cavalry carbine of WWI, the Reichswehr Kar 98 B (a rework of the Gew 98 when they were taken over by the (much smaller) army after the Versailles treaty, and the 98k of WW II fame.

olyinaz · February 25, 2010, 10:43 PM

Quote:

That is not quite correct. The Kar98 was developed before WWI, and was used quite extensively during the war alongside the Gew98. You are thinking of the Kar98k, which was used during WWII. Kar (Karabiner) does not mean carbine, it means that it has a side mounted sling. The small k in the Kar98k mean kurtz, for short... The Kar98 did have a turned down bolt handle though, so clearly this is not a Kar98 unless it is not an original bolt.

Thanks! I knew there was more to that story.

Best,
Oly

February 25, 2010, 06:19 PM	#1
HOBBY101 Member Join Date: February 21, 2010 Posts: 33	What did I just buy? I was told it is a 8mm. He said outside of that he didn't know. The rear site is missing the adjustment blade. It looks good over all. My questions are as follows.(1) Is it a 8mm? (2) How can I tell what country its from? (3) How can I check the head space? (4) What ever else you can tell me about it? If you need any more info please let me know. I bought it for $82 out the door from a local dealer. Thanks Hobby101

February 25, 2010, 06:29 PM	#2
RedneckFur Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2007 Location: Central NC Posts: 1,424	My guess would be a Yugoslavian mauser. 8mm is likely to be the correct caliber, but if you're not sure, have a real gunsmith check that for you when he checks the headspace. You can install sights your self, and can probably get what you need from brownells or numrich, but having a smith do it would also probably be your best bet. I had a yugo mauser very simliar to yours that I sold last year for $75. The old man that bought it cleand her up and now it shoots 2" groups at 100 yards with iron sights. My loss, his gain. __________________ In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. -George Orwell

February 25, 2010, 06:41 PM	#3
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,380	It looks like a Mauser K98, the rifle that saw Germany through World War I. You need to describe the markings, both letters and numbers, that are, or should be, on the rifle's receiver. Chamering determination can't be made positively over the internet. One can make assumptions, based on what's written on the receiver, but to be absolutely certain requires a gunsmith (or other knowledgable person) to make a chamber cast. Moving this to Curious and Relics given its age. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

February 25, 2010, 07:06 PM	#4
HOBBY101 Member Join Date: February 21, 2010 Posts: 33	Markings and Crest These are the markings if you can make them out. Appreciate the help.

February 25, 2010, 07:30 PM	#5
HOBBY101 Member Join Date: February 21, 2010 Posts: 33	Well I surfed and found it is a Spanish Air Force M.1944 Mauser Short Rifle. All numbers matching. It has very very little surface in one spot. The website said it's relatively scarce. I think I did good at $82. Last edited by HOBBY101; February 26, 2010 at 06:40 AM.

February 25, 2010, 07:49 PM	#6
jbrown Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2006 Location: minnesota Posts: 215	cal.7.92 means 8x57 Mauser chambering,at least originally.I cant see the markings on the receiver at all.What was it that made you decide it was a Spanish rifle?

February 25, 2010, 08:31 PM	#7
olyinaz Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 877	Yes, it's a Spanish Mauser and you got a fantastic deal at $82 in any case but I do think that the stock has been refinished (hard to tell in your pics). I've got the Army version of that rifle (M43) and it shoots very nicely. And to the fellow who said that the K98 was the German WWI rifle no, that's not quite correct. The Gew98 (Gewehr model 1898) was the German WWI Mauser 98 rifle and it's longer (something like a 30" barrel). The shorter...version of the Mauser 98 was used throughout WWII as the Kar98k (Karabiner Mod. 98 kurtz - short - approximately 24" barrel). Rifles of this length are sometimes also called "short rifle" because by most standards they're still not really carbines (I think Brazil, for example, used that nomenclature). An even shorter version of the Mauser 98 is also around out there in "tanker" or police carbine versions and they can have barrels as short as 18". This is general info and a "C&R" aficionado can answer with much greater detail and accuracy but the main thing is no - the K98 was not the typical Imperial German WWI rifle, it was the typical rifle of Wiemar and Nazi Germany and it's still used today by ceremonial guard units in modern Germany. Oly P.S. This is what kills me about other parts of the country - you would NEVER find a deal like that in Tucson!! You can't swing a dead cat in Tucson without hitting some old history nut that knows exactly what everything is and what it's really worth, and that includes every gun shop keeper in this town. Paint me green with envy. P.P.S. Edited to correct as pointed out below - thanks guys, I knew there was more to that story. Last edited by olyinaz; February 25, 2010 at 10:40 PM.

February 25, 2010, 08:39 PM	#9
HOBBY101 Member Join Date: February 21, 2010 Posts: 33	Jbrown The crest on the receiver is what I based my conclusion on. Olyinaz Thanks for the confirmation. Yes I think the stock has been redone also. Do you know what the value is on this model?

February 25, 2010, 09:46 PM	#11
Sasquatch in MN Member Join Date: January 21, 2009 Posts: 93	NICE grab. way undervaluerd as well. __________________ Making the world a better place, one rifle at a time. Visit us online at www.RCArms.com

February 25, 2010, 09:54 PM	#12
mapsjanhere Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2009 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 2,832	There are actually at least three versions of the Kar98, the Kar 98 A, the standard cavalry carbine of WWI, the Reichswehr Kar 98 B (a rework of the Gew 98 when they were taken over by the (much smaller) army after the Versailles treaty, and the 98k of WW II fame. __________________ I used to love being able to hit hard at 1000 yards. As I get older I find hitting a mini ram at 200 yards with the 22 oddly more satisfying.